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Understanding the Role of the Mobile Operator in Mobile Social Networking

Understanding the Role of the
Mobile Operator in Mobile Social Networking and the differences between On-Deck and Off-Deck Communities Priya Prakash, Head of Product, Flirtomatic UK

The GOOD… 140M mobile social
networking users by 2013.. generate subscription revenues in excess of $410 million. … mobile users of social networks are likely to consume two or three times as much digital mobile content (pictures, music, videos and games) than their &quot;asocial&quot; peers. ABI report forecast, Sept 3 , 2008 

The BAD… Confusing choice and
complexity… … mobile users of both web and mobile services are finding it increasingly hard to FIND, SHARE and MANAGE experiences seamlessly across platforms and devices  … as well as understanding differences and benefits of various data tariffs...  Image Copyright: Plugg.eu | Rudy De Waele

The UGLY… Over 70 percent
of social network users said they wouldn’t join a social network launched by their mobile service provider . 160 Characters, SSI UK report Feb , 2008 

However, 25% of respondents said
easier mobile access to social networks would increase their usage of such services … … indicating social networking could drive take-up of mobile internet service and contribute to its growth for service providers. 

The role of the mobile
operator with on-deck/off-deck communities.. where is it headed? FACT: People don’t choose their friends on the basis of the mobile operator they use.  FACT : The bigger the network, the more value to the users of the social network (Reeds’ law) FACT: People don’t use the 02 iPhone deck..they just go to the Apple App store...

Is it all over with
operator decks then? Not really... their value to customer needs has to change.. Flirtomatic’s lessons learned : First, you don’t “manage” a community. You host it. You create a “social object” that your customers want/value and make that your key focus. Make “content discovery” part of the conversation and “service quality” is the brand.

… a great host facilitates
conversations, takes care of logistics to create an open social environment, acts as a match-maker…. … anticipates needs/desires and points to the right recommendation based on the context.

<ul><li>At CTIA 2008, Newbay reported
top five mobile social networking activities are: </li></ul><ul><li>View & update own profile </li></ul><ul><li>Update status </li></ul><ul><li>View own home page </li></ul><ul><li>View comments on profile </li></ul><ul><li>View friends’ profile. </li></ul>The OPPORTUNITY…to open up APIs for real-time access How can data like this be harnessed to make a seamless mobile social networking experience?

Mobile social networking is still
at its nascent stage...if we know history we can choose not to repeat it...We need to embrace OPEN communities, standards and API to really make this segment grow. Evolution of Open Platforms

Women are more enthusiastic than
men about using their mobiles to social network – for example, a third of women respondents say they would take and upload pictures compared to 23% of men FACT: Women Outnumber Men on Most Social Networks…